Oct 11, 2007
Posted in
Judy Garland Media
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I haven't had a chance to go through ALL of the abundant riches in this fantastic DVD set, but here are my thoughts and comments on the set thus far.
This is an amazing set! The design, the graphics, the layout, everything that pertains to the look and feel of the set - not to mention its ease of use - is as perfect as anyone could get with a multi-DVD boxed set.
Inside the shiny metallic covered box are three separate "compartments" or "sleeves":
1) The gatefold sleeve that houses 20 high-quality postcard sized photos called the "Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland Portfolio".
2) The hardbound book that houses the bonus DVD and the details about the making of each film.
3) The gatefold sleeve that houses the 4 DVDs.
These compartments are independent of each other, so they can be easily removed and enjoyed on their own. This is a big improvement over previous "special edition" boxed sets that cram everything into one box that you have to practically man-handle just to get to one item.
1) THE PORTFOLIO:
These are very nice, high quality (card stock) reproductions of behind-the-scenes and promotional photos. Most of these we've seen before. Nothing very rare here. But that in no means detracts from the enjoyment of having these in such a high quality format. The fact that the producers took the time to house them in their own sleeve is an indication of just how much care and time went into this set. Kudos!
2) THE BOOK WITH BONUS DVD:
This is a mixed bag, slanted towards the sublime.
"THE JUDY GARLAND SONGBOOK" is the big feature here. 21 of Judy's film performances, several that are on DVD for the first time and several that are not. No issue there! It's always a joy to see "The Trolley Song" and others already on DVD in any format. Here they're all presented in chronological order, bookended with pertinent segments from the "Born In A Trunk" number from 1954's A Star Is Born. The big pluses for me are Judy's early pre-Oz performances. "Down On Melody Farm" from 1938's Everybody Sing is a perfect example of just what made Judy Garland so unique and special at such an early age. Her vocal prowess and ability to elevate the lyrics into something from the heavens is nowhere more evident than in this obscure song. It gives Judy the chance to run the gamut from ballad to swing to jazz to big belting! It's amazing how confident and mature Judy's vocal abilities were at such an early age. No wonder everyone in Hollywood was nuts about this "new discovery".
The only quibble I have in this line-up is the still horrible stereo audio mix to "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe". This mix first appeared on the 1995 laser disc set "Judy Garland The Golden Years At M-G-M". Judy's voice is drowned out at the end of the number, unlike the original mix for the original film. This was rectified when it was put on CD, but the mix remained with the "stereo" version of the number when it was transferred to DVD. I was hoping that it would have been corrected for this new "songbook". Not only is Judy's voice drowned out, but poor Virginia O'Brien's solo bit is barely audible. It sounds as though she's stuck in the back of the recording studio. It's a glaring mistake that makes you think something is wrong with your audio system. You would think that if they went to so much trouble with this package, they would have corrected that.
Aside from this one number, the rest of the line-up is wonderful.
THE BOOK:
The book detailing the making of the films is lavishly illustrated. The text is an almost verbatim re-print of John Fricke's more extensive liner notes to the 1995 Rhino CD set of the soundtracks to these same Mickey/Judy films. Here those CD liner notes are edited a bit (for space, I'm assuming), and some of the separate paragraphs are lumped together. It's basically a watered down version of the much nicer CD booklet. If you get the chance, get the now out of print CD set (it can be found on eBay) - the liner notes are much more extensive. The nice thing about this book is that it's hardbound, so it's a bit sturdier than most booklets issued with DVDs these days.
TRAILERS: The bonus disc includes a "Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland Trailer Gallery" featuring, obviously, the trailers to their films. I've always enjoyed trailers. They're fun and a nice chance to see how marketing has changed over the years, and yet still kind of stayed the same! Being the original and sometimes beat up trailers, they really bring home the glaring difference in film quality from the prints we used to see on TV and the newer restorations we are now getting on DVD.
PRIVATE SCREENINGS: MICKEY ROONEY
Originally aired on Turner Classic Movies a few years ago, this is a nice addition. Mickey's memories are a bit selective, but it's great to see him still going strong. He's definitely a trouper, and a survivor. I'm very happy that he was able to film new introductions to each film. What a wonderful legacy. And with this set, it's a legacy that will continue to make new fans and hopefully live forever.
Next up.... Reviews of the films and other extras.
This is an amazing set! The design, the graphics, the layout, everything that pertains to the look and feel of the set - not to mention its ease of use - is as perfect as anyone could get with a multi-DVD boxed set.
Inside the shiny metallic covered box are three separate "compartments" or "sleeves":
1) The gatefold sleeve that houses 20 high-quality postcard sized photos called the "Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland Portfolio".
2) The hardbound book that houses the bonus DVD and the details about the making of each film.
3) The gatefold sleeve that houses the 4 DVDs.
These compartments are independent of each other, so they can be easily removed and enjoyed on their own. This is a big improvement over previous "special edition" boxed sets that cram everything into one box that you have to practically man-handle just to get to one item.
1) THE PORTFOLIO:
These are very nice, high quality (card stock) reproductions of behind-the-scenes and promotional photos. Most of these we've seen before. Nothing very rare here. But that in no means detracts from the enjoyment of having these in such a high quality format. The fact that the producers took the time to house them in their own sleeve is an indication of just how much care and time went into this set. Kudos!
2) THE BOOK WITH BONUS DVD:
This is a mixed bag, slanted towards the sublime.
"THE JUDY GARLAND SONGBOOK" is the big feature here. 21 of Judy's film performances, several that are on DVD for the first time and several that are not. No issue there! It's always a joy to see "The Trolley Song" and others already on DVD in any format. Here they're all presented in chronological order, bookended with pertinent segments from the "Born In A Trunk" number from 1954's A Star Is Born. The big pluses for me are Judy's early pre-Oz performances. "Down On Melody Farm" from 1938's Everybody Sing is a perfect example of just what made Judy Garland so unique and special at such an early age. Her vocal prowess and ability to elevate the lyrics into something from the heavens is nowhere more evident than in this obscure song. It gives Judy the chance to run the gamut from ballad to swing to jazz to big belting! It's amazing how confident and mature Judy's vocal abilities were at such an early age. No wonder everyone in Hollywood was nuts about this "new discovery".
The only quibble I have in this line-up is the still horrible stereo audio mix to "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe". This mix first appeared on the 1995 laser disc set "Judy Garland The Golden Years At M-G-M". Judy's voice is drowned out at the end of the number, unlike the original mix for the original film. This was rectified when it was put on CD, but the mix remained with the "stereo" version of the number when it was transferred to DVD. I was hoping that it would have been corrected for this new "songbook". Not only is Judy's voice drowned out, but poor Virginia O'Brien's solo bit is barely audible. It sounds as though she's stuck in the back of the recording studio. It's a glaring mistake that makes you think something is wrong with your audio system. You would think that if they went to so much trouble with this package, they would have corrected that.
Aside from this one number, the rest of the line-up is wonderful.
THE BOOK:
The book detailing the making of the films is lavishly illustrated. The text is an almost verbatim re-print of John Fricke's more extensive liner notes to the 1995 Rhino CD set of the soundtracks to these same Mickey/Judy films. Here those CD liner notes are edited a bit (for space, I'm assuming), and some of the separate paragraphs are lumped together. It's basically a watered down version of the much nicer CD booklet. If you get the chance, get the now out of print CD set (it can be found on eBay) - the liner notes are much more extensive. The nice thing about this book is that it's hardbound, so it's a bit sturdier than most booklets issued with DVDs these days.
TRAILERS: The bonus disc includes a "Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland Trailer Gallery" featuring, obviously, the trailers to their films. I've always enjoyed trailers. They're fun and a nice chance to see how marketing has changed over the years, and yet still kind of stayed the same! Being the original and sometimes beat up trailers, they really bring home the glaring difference in film quality from the prints we used to see on TV and the newer restorations we are now getting on DVD.
PRIVATE SCREENINGS: MICKEY ROONEY
Originally aired on Turner Classic Movies a few years ago, this is a nice addition. Mickey's memories are a bit selective, but it's great to see him still going strong. He's definitely a trouper, and a survivor. I'm very happy that he was able to film new introductions to each film. What a wonderful legacy. And with this set, it's a legacy that will continue to make new fans and hopefully live forever.
Next up.... Reviews of the films and other extras.
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